


Seafarer's Mermaid

by Blushing_starker



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Enemies to Lovers, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Protective Peter Parker, Siren!Peter, Sirens, captain!tony, siren au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blushing_starker/pseuds/Blushing_starker
Summary: Exiled Captain Anthony Stark created a suit with incredible capabilities, posed a threat to all Peter held dear. Mermaids weren't created to fend off man's strange creations, his entire community could die if he didn't destroy that suit. Or worse, they'd be showed as exotic prizes meant to cause pleasure, some butchered and sold as street meat while others would suffer the ripping of their scales just to give the King new jewels. It made his blood boil merely thinking about it. Which is why he was hiding in the captain's quarters as the full moon rose, desperately searching for any clues leading to the suit.His plan is simple enough. Find the suit, shred it to pieces, throw what's left overboard a few miles before getting home. If Peter does it now, he'll die by the time he reaches White Cap to warn the others.They say mermaids are sneakier than cats and Peter had believed it. Until the door slams shut and Tony Stark is walking over to him, a panther poised to strike.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	Seafarer's Mermaid

**Author's Note:**

> https://blushing-starker.tumblr.com/post/623159199370805248/im-too-sleepy-to-say-anything-other-than-i-love
> 
> I know its short but the purpose of it was to make an accompanying drabble for the moodboard. Come ship starker with me in tumblr, I need the extra serotonin.

The scales protecting taut muscles are as dark as the depths he calls home, very nearly indistinguishable from those cold waters to warn any who dwell close by. This siren has survived for decades, best not act as a threat or risk losing your life. But now that he walks on a floor made of wood that creaks, is surrounded by fluttering cloth and lonesome men, his only defense is a façade. Peter hasn't hunted men since many a moon ago, yet some things are never forgotten. He looks at these pitiful souls through sweeping eyelashes, lures them in with innocent smiles and they are undone completely. Whenever a drunk attempts to touch him, there are already six sailors tackling the man to the ground. Peter doesn't need to bare too sharp teeth or sink claws into delightfully thin skin to defend himself. Sometimes, though, he misses the rush of chasing prey. Then again, Peter soon learns there are other ways to hunt among men who think they know the sea.

"Ned, what does the captain want with White Cap Bay? A sailor like that, he's bound to know how dangerous those waters are."

The young man next to him, his junior by almost seven decades, is the only one who's managed to charm the siren with witty conversation and sweet concern. It's misplaced, but nonetheless appreciated. Ned only leans in close enough to talk; he'd never asked Peter why he was so tense when the others were invading his space, had simply understood to read the cabin boy's language before initiating communication or a hug. Peter would maim a thousand of his sisters if they dared hurt this pure creature.

"The sailors say Captain Stark is looking for redemption. His father exiled him from his home, angry at all the chaos the captain brought with him. Apparently, the Starks are famous for their inventions. The head of the family's only son, that's the captain, would use all the money for parties and," he glances at Peter, seems to consider his next words carefully and he's positive he'd die before seeing Ned hurt, "um, companionship. He wasted so much money the Starks were on the verge of being broke. That's when he was exiled. His father will only accept one thing in return for the money. That's why we're going to White Cap Bay. He created this special suit that lets him breathe and hunt underwater. Captain Stark needs a mermaid. Specifically, a mermaid's tears."

\-----

All sirens need to walk among land every few years, practice how to be a human with older kin who've been a part of civilization. It was a rite of passage every mercreature had to experience in case they were captured and taken far away. When Peter reached his seventh year of life, the leader of White Cap had taught him how to walk and speak the human's dialect. With every passing moon cycle, a little more was learned. But Peter was an elder in the community, and that meant going into civilization, seeing how the human world had changed and coming back to teach the others. Humans were ambitious thieves, always trying to capture mermaids whenever a war broke out, governed by ludicrous ideas of sacred tears and healing scales. Yet men never managed to bring a mermaid back to dry land. If one of their own was taken, it was necessary to sneak into the ship and kill their sibling if a rescue proved impossible.

But now Stark had made a suit with incredible capabilities, posed a threat to all Peter held dear. Mermaids weren't created to fend off man's strange creations, his entire community could die if he didn't destroy that suit. Or worse, they'd be showed as exotic prizes meant to cause pleasure, some butchered and sold as street meat while others would suffer the ripping of their scales just to give the King new jewels. It made his blood boil merely thinking about it. Which is why he was hiding in the captain's quarters as the full moon rose, desperately searching for any clues leading to the suit.

His plan is simple enough. Find the suit, shred it to pieces, throw what's left overboard a few miles before getting home. If Peter does it now, he'll die by the time he reaches White Cap to warn the others.

They say mermaids are sneakier than cats, a lifetime of surviving in the dark ocean honing their skills to a level no other creature could emulate. Peter moves with the swaying ship easily, feet gliding over boards that would shudder noisily and finding safety in the ones that gleam below candlelight, clothes not making a whisper of sound as he dips thin fingers under yellowed parchment. If he could only understand this bloody handwriting, he'd be able to know the location and material of the suit. They say mermaids are sneakier than cats and Peter had believed it. Until the door slams shut and Tony Stark is walking over to him, so quietly Peter's enhanced hearing can't even hear his bare feet scraping over rough grain.

He looks like a panther poised to strike against a helpless bird, limbs loose and stride great. Peter has spent a year in land, yet no man has been as elegant or impressive as this skillful captain. They had crossed paths, as is common when living among a ship for months. But the man who'd joked with the sailors and dived into the shallow waters of a beach in the Caribbean for spontaneous fun was not the same man currently two feet away observing him. They stand there for a millennia and Peter doesn't dare breathe, let alone play the innocent. Stark was ruthless and cunning, not even his eldest sister could fool the captain.

"You know, when I heard you were asking questions, I started paying you a lot more attention. Noticed the whole act with the pretty eyes and cute smiles. I'm impressed you managed to charm my whole crew, although just a little bit of ankle showing and they would have pledged their allegiance. Still, Jarvis is a hard man to persuade. I've tried for more than a decade and he keeps cocking that eyebrow of his at me. What'd you do to win him over?"

It's too hard to resist. He bats his eyelashes.

"Captain Stark, you think my eyes are pretty? No one's ever said that to me before." Peter's a siren, it's his nature to try and charm this intriguing sailor. And it was true. No one had ever complimented his eyes, but that was because-

"Yeah, I doubt they lived long enough to say they were pretty. So I'm thinking, what, an assassin? Meant to stop me from reaching White Cap and being accepted back into society? Save dear old dad another three thousand pounds? If my father was going to kill me, he should have sent someone a bit more forgettable."

"I-I wasn't sent here to kill you, captain. I only found out about that story while on the ship. And besides, you've shown me no harm. It'd be a waste murdering someone that's caused no offense."

Until they reached White Cap. Peter hated killing for sport; he only slaughtered for food and for recompense of a heinous crime. Any mermaid tried to force themselves on Peter suddenly had a slit throat and missing teeth. The men that came to hunt for his kin were devoured quickly and with mercy. He'd kill Stark, but Peter wouldn't dream of prolonging pain upon a man he doubts wishes to inflict misery for misery's sake. Gaining a mermaid's tear usually involved causing extreme agony, but the captain had most likely found another way to make mermaids cry. Stark's death would be relatively short and arrive before the ship sailed into White Cap.

He feels sad, though. No child should live a life that led them to believe their parent would try to have them killed.

"Honestly, Captain. No one's sent me to kill you. I just wanted a look around Tony Stark's cabin. Before I knew who you were, I'd hear all sorts of stories about your incredible inventions back home. It's a small port so your creations were the one thing people talked about. Your maps are beautifully made."

It's not entirely false. Take away the port and it was true. Almost every elder that came back mentioned the Stark name. That's why Peter had signed up as cabin boy for the Iron Maiden, curious about the inventions this man could supposedly conjure from thin air.

Stark grins at him, delighted for an opportunity to preen.

Peter's delighted for a chance to kill that opportunity.

"But I caught a few mistakes. The stars are slightly misaligned, if you want them to be an accurate description of the Caribbean sky. Probably shown your father's maps while little. If you're in a tense relationship, better to have an incorrect map than risk his wrath after explaining he got it all wrong. The islands aren't the appropriate scale and the colors used to highlight that area are too dark. If I'm in need of provisions and I follow this map, I'll have to go around the island for more shallow waters instead of sailing to this strip of beach."

In the lighthouse close to home, there were hundreds of books and maps his kin had collected to use when teaching. Peter had studied every one religiously, hungry for the sight of those distant lands. While they were younger and their bodies more adept at swimming through different waters, the leader of the area would show them the way to other mermaid communities miles away. He had swum the depths near the islands on Stark's map, had played with the turtles and feasted on sweet coconuts all day long among those beaches. But now he can only travel when the sun is weak and the waters still maintain their colder temperatures. Spring is close by so he needs to sail as close as possible to home and then swim the remaining distance. Warn his kin and hide. That'll only happen if he gains Stark's trust, manages to destroy the suit at exactly the right time and leave before the crew has a chance to catch his brothers and sisters the old fashioned way.

Judging by the look on Stark's face, Peter certainly has his attention.

" Looks like you can help me fix these mistakes, huh? It's not a good idea to be seen with the cabin boy in my quarters, though. Gives for a plethora of questions. Some of the crew might get out of hand, and your allies won't always be near to help. Still wanna hear about my 'incredible' inventions? Or should I expect you to shrink away from me now? "

Peter grins at him, lets the candlelight bounce off of sharp ivory teeth and cast dancing shadows on his face.

"I think I'll be just fine, Captain Stark. I won't shrink away at all."


End file.
